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Albert White Hat Obituary

SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota (AP) — The endangered Lakota language has lost one of its greatest supporters.

Albert White Hat, who was instrumental in teaching and preserving the American Indian language and translated the Hollywood film "Dances with Wolves" into Lakota for its actors, died last week surrounded by loved ones at a South Dakota hospital. The 74-year-old had been battling prostate cancer and other health issues, according to family and friends.

White Hat, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, authored several books on writing and reading Lakota, a language fluently spoken by fewer than 6,000 people. The average age of those speakers is 60, and less than 14 percent of the Lakota population in South Dakota and North Dakota — where the vast majority of Lakota speakers live — speak their native tongue.

The first native Lakota speaker to publish a Lakota textbook and glossary, White Hat was considered an activist for traditional ways of living, according to his daughter, Emily White Hat. He even created an orthography for the language, which he had taught since 1975, and was head of the Lakota Studies Department at Sinte Gleska University on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

She said her father believed in sharing the Lakota way of life with both tribal members and non-Native Americans.

He believed "there was always an opportunity to educate," Emily White Hat said. "Even though some questions may be off the wall, he believed it was better to take the opportunity than to be misled about who we are."

One of those opportunities came when White Hat provided the translation for the Lakota dialogue in the 1990 Oscar-winning Kevin Costner film "Dances with Wolves."

Wilhelm Meya, executive director of the Lakota Language Consortium, a nonprofit seeking to revitalize the Lakota language, called White Hat a "warrior" for the language. Meya said he hopes White Hat's legacy lives on, and that more young people will decide to study the language and work to retain its importance.

"Over 100 Lakota speakers pass on (each year)," Meya said. "Those speakers are not being replaced by young speakers. Until we can reverse that trend, the language will continue to be very much in danger."

White Hat was born on the outskirts of St. Francis, South Dakota, on the Rosebud reservation. He spoke only Lakota until his teens, when he started learning English in school. His grandfather, Chief Hollow Horn Bear, was a leading chief in many of the Plains Indians Wars against settlers in the 1800s, and was also involved in treaty negotiations with the U.S.

Rosebud Sioux Tribal President Cyril Scott called White Hat a great teacher, spiritual leader and friend. He noted that White Hat was known all over the powwow circuit and was awarded numerous awards in honor of his dedication to preserving the Lakota language and culture.

White Hat is survived by his wife, seven children and many grandchildren.

SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota (AP) — The endangered Lakota language has lost one of its greatest supporters.

Albert White Hat, who was instrumental in teaching and preserving the American Indian language and translated the Hollywood film "Dances with Wolves" into Lakota for its actors, died last week surrounded by loved ones at a South Dakota hospital. The 74-year-old had been battling prostate cancer and other health issues, according to family and friends.

White Hat, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, authored several books on writing and reading Lakota, a language fluently spoken by fewer than 6,000 people. The average age of those speakers is 60, and less than 14 percent of the Lakota population in South Dakota and North Dakota — where the vast majority of Lakota speakers live — speak their native tongue.

The first native Lakota speaker to publish a Lakota textbook and glossary, White Hat was considered an activist for traditional ways of living, according to his daughter, Emily White Hat. He even created an orthography for the language, which he had taught since 1975, and was head of the Lakota Studies Department at Sinte Gleska University on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

She said her father believed in sharing the Lakota way of life with both tribal members and non-Native Americans.

He believed "there was always an opportunity to educate," Emily White Hat said. "Even though some questions may be off the wall, he believed it was better to take the opportunity than to be misled about who we are."

One of those opportunities came when White Hat provided the translation for the Lakota dialogue in the 1990 Oscar-winning Kevin Costner film "Dances with Wolves."

Wilhelm Meya, executive director of the Lakota Language Consortium, a nonprofit seeking to revitalize the Lakota language, called White Hat a "warrior" for the language. Meya said he hopes White Hat's legacy lives on, and that more young people will decide to study the language and work to retain its importance.

"Over 100 Lakota speakers pass on (each year)," Meya said. "Those speakers are not being replaced by young speakers. Until we can reverse that trend, the language will continue to be very much in danger."

White Hat was born on the outskirts of St. Francis, South Dakota, on the Rosebud reservation. He spoke only Lakota until his teens, when he started learning English in school. His grandfather, Chief Hollow Horn Bear, was a leading chief in many of the Plains Indians Wars against settlers in the 1800s, and was also involved in treaty negotiations with the U.S.

Rosebud Sioux Tribal President Cyril Scott called White Hat a great teacher, spiritual leader and friend. He noted that White Hat was known all over the powwow circuit and was awarded numerous awards in honor of his dedication to preserving the Lakota language and culture.

White Hat is survived by his wife, seven children and many grandchildren.

Guest Book Highlights

"I saw an interview with Mr. White Hat on Ken Burn's documentary called The West. My heart was touched by this interview. After all of the terrible things that were done by white men to Native Americans, the land stolen, treaties broken, starvation..."- Tom Bohrer (Bath, NC)

"I attended your summer camp 1991 and recorded some of your lessons. you had a profound effect on me and i would like to say many thanks. warm thoughts go to your family. thanks for teaching us how to be a real human."- Thomas Mc Kissock (Birmingham England GB)

"I remember Albert touring the Art Department at UW-Eau Claire and simply absorbing the spirit of the place. His ability to be present in the moment of any conversation, event, or presentation blessed us all -- I am thankful for time with him."- Paulette Ponick (New Auburn, WI)

""Wolakota to all our relatives, and to us two-legged becoming human beings, let us have a covenant of peace and friendship without greed for power or using the sacred manner of presencing wolakota as religion. Albert's bottom line, we are human and..."- Mushin Mato Wambli (+Patric Roberts) (Des Moines, IA)

"I met Albert White Hat at a retreat in Waco TX that was cut short by the events of 9/11. He was warm and kind to this curious white woman and shared his culture generously, with a deeply centered wisdom and a hilarious sense of humor. I will never..."- Kat Occhipinti (San Diego, CA)